Foldable Placement Rack for a Rear Portion of a Car

A foldable placement rack includes a fixing seat, and a support unit detachably mounted on the fixing seat. The support unit includes a support bracket mounted on the fixing seat, two placement frames each pivotally connected with the support bracket, and two support links each pivotally connected between the support bracket and a respective one of the two placement frames. Thus, the support unit is mounted on and detached from the fixing seat easily and quickly, thereby facilitating a user mounting and detaching the support unit. In addition, the support unit is foldable when not in use, thereby facilitating packaging, transportation and storage of the placement rack.

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Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a placement (or carrying) rack and, more particularly, to a foldable placement rack that is mounted on a rear portion of a car.

2. Description of the Related Art

A conventional placement (or carrying) rack for a car is mounted on the top or the rear portion of a car. The placement rack that is mounted on the rear portion of a car usually comprises a substantially U-shaped movable frame mounted on the rear portion of a car to place and receive articles, such as baggage, tools and the like. However, the placement rack cannot be mounted on and detached from the rear portion of a car easily and quickly, thereby causing inconvenience to a user when mounting and detaching the placement rack.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a foldable placement rack, comprising a fixing seat, and a support unit detachably mounted on the fixing seat. The support unit includes a support bracket mounted on the fixing seat, two placement frames each pivotally connected with the support bracket, and two support links each pivotally connected between the support bracket and a respective one of the two placement frames.

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a foldable placement rack, wherein the mounting post is mounted on and detached from the mounting portion of the fixing seat to mount and detach the support unit so that the support unit is mounted on and detached from the fixing seat easily and quickly, thereby facilitating a user mounting and detaching the support unit.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a foldable placement rack, wherein the support unit is foldable when not in use, thereby facilitating packaging, transportation and storage of the placement rack.

Further benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after a careful reading of the detailed description with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a foldable placement rack in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the foldable placement rack as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the foldable placement rack for a car as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side operational view of the foldable placement rack for a car as shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a rear view of the foldable placement rack for a car as shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a schematic operational view of the foldable placement rack for a car as shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a schematic operational view of the foldable placement rack for a car as shown in FIG. 1.

 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the drawings and initially to FIGS. 1-5, a foldable placement rack in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a fixing seat 10 for attaching to a rear portion 32 of a car 30, and a support unit 20 detachably mounted on the fixing seat 10.

The fixing seat 10 is a substantially U-shaped bracket and has a bottom having a middle position provided with a mounting portion 101.

The support unit 20 includes a support bracket 21 mounted on the fixing seat 10, two placement frames 22 each pivotally connected with the support bracket 21, and two support links 24 each pivotally connected between the support bracket 21 and a respective one of the two placement frames 22.

The support bracket 21 of the support unit 20 includes a transverse lower support post 211 mounted on the fixing seat 10, a transverse upper support post 210 located above the lower support post 211 and an upright connecting post 212 located between the lower support post 211 and the upper support post 210.

The lower support post 211 of the support bracket 21 is mounted on the fixing seat 10 by a mounting post 11. The mounting post 11 extends through the lower support post 211 of the support bracket 21 and is inserted into the mounting portion 101 of the fixing seat 10. The mounting post 11 has a side provided with a plurality of adjusting holes 110. The lower support post 211 of the support bracket 21 has a hollow inside provided with a mounting hole 2112 slidably mounted on the mounting post 11 and has a side provided with a positioning hole 2110 for mounting a positioning pin 2114 which is adjustably inserted into one of the adjusting holes 110 of the mounting post 11 so that the lower support post 211 of the support bracket 21 is adjustably mounted on the mounting post 11 as shown in FIG. 4.

The upper support post 210 of the support bracket 21 has two opposite sides each provided with at least one pivot sleeve 2101. The connecting post 212 of the support bracket 21 is located between the lower support post 211 and the upper support post 210 in an oblique manner and has two opposite sides each provided with a pivot portion 213.

The two placement frames 22 of the support unit 20 are pivotally mounted on the two opposite sides of the upper support post 210 of the support bracket 21. Each of the two placement frames 22 of the support unit 20 has an end portion provided with a transverse pivot post 221 pivotally connected with the upper support post 210 of the support bracket 21. The pivot post 221 of each of the two placement frames 22 has a bottom provided with at least one pivot ring 222 aligning with the respective pivot sleeve 2101 of the upper support post 210, and the support unit 20 further includes two pivot shafts 26 each extending through the respective pivot sleeve 2101 of the upper support post 210 and the pivot ring 222 of the respective placement frame 22, so that the pivot post 221 of each of the two placement frames 22 is pivotally connected with the upper support post 210 of the support bracket 21.

The pivot post 221 of each of the two placement frames 22 has a top provided with two opposite upright support struts 224. The adjacent support struts 224 of the two placement frames 22 abut each other respectively when the two placement frames 22 are in line with each other. Each of the support struts 224 of each of the two placement frames 22 has a bottom provided with a recessed abutting edge 2240 abutting the upper support post 210 of the support bracket 21 when the adjacent support struts 224 of the two placement frames 22 abut each other respectively. In addition, the pivot posts 221 of the two placement frames 22 abut the two opposite sides of the upper support post 210 of the support bracket 21 when the adjacent support struts 224 of the two placement frames 22 abut each other respectively.

Each of the support struts 224 of each of the two placement frames 22 has a middle portion provided with a through hole 2241, and the support unit 20 further includes two locking bolts 2242 each extending through the through hole 2241 of the respective support strut 224 of one of the two placement frames 22 and the through hole 2241 of the respective support strut 224 of the other one of the two placement frames 22, and two locking nuts 2243 each screwed onto a respective one of the two locking bolts 2242 to combine the support struts 224 of the two placement frames 22 together.

Each of the two placement frames 22 of the support unit 20 has a periphery provided with a substantially U-shaped raised fence 223 having two distal ends connected to the two support struts 224. Each of the two placement frames 22 of the support unit 20 has a bottom provided with a pivot portion 220.

Each of the two support links 24 of the support unit 20 has a first end provided with a first pivot section 240 pivotally connected with the pivot portion 213 of the support bracket 21 and a second end provided with a second pivot section 242 pivotally connected with the pivot portion 220 of the respective placement frame 22. The second pivot section 242 of each of the two support links 24 is detachably connected with the pivot portion 220 of the respective placement frame 22.

In assembly, again referring to FIGS. 1-5, each of the two locking bolts 2242 extends through the through hole 2241 of the respective support strut 224 of one of the two placement frames 22 and the through hole 2241 of the respective support strut 224 of the other one of the two placement frames 22, and each of the two locking nuts 2243 is screwed onto a respective one of the two locking bolts 2242 to combine the support struts 224 of the two placement frames 22 together, so that the two placement frames 22 are combined together and juxtaposed to each other as shown in FIG. 3 to expand the support unit 20. At this time, the abutting edge 2240 of each of the support struts 224 of each of the two placement frames 22 abuts the upper support post 210 of the support bracket 21 when the adjacent support struts 224 of the two placement frames 22 abut each other respectively, and each of the two support links 24 of the support unit 20 is located between the support bracket 21 and the respective placement frame 22 as shown in FIG. 5, so that the two placement frames 22 are combined together solidly and stably.

On the contrary, referring to FIGS. 6 and 7 with reference to FIGS. 1-5, when a user wishes to fold the support unit 20, the mounting post 11 is detached from the mounting portion 101 of the fixing seat 10 to detach the support unit 20 from the fixing seat 10. Then, each of the two locking nuts 2243 is unscrewed from a respective one of the two locking bolts 2242 to release the support struts 224 of the two placement frames 22 and to unlock the two placement frames 22, and the second pivot section 242 of each of the two support links 24 is detached from the pivot portion 220 of the respective placement frame 22, so that the pivot post 221 of each of the two placement frames 22 is pivoted relative to the upper support post 210 of the support bracket 21, and each of the two placement frames 22 is moved downward relative to the support bracket 21 so as to fold the support unit 20 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

Accordingly, the mounting post 11 is mounted on and detached from the mounting portion 101 of the fixing seat 10 to mount and detach the support unit 20 so that the support unit 20 is mounted on and detached from the fixing seat 10 easily and quickly, thereby facilitating a user mounting and detaching the support unit 20. In addition, the support unit 20 is foldable when not in use, thereby facilitating packaging, transportation and storage of the placement rack.

Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment(s) as mentioned above, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is, therefore, contemplated that the appended claim or claims will cover such modifications and variations that fall within the true scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A foldable placement rack, comprising:

a fixing seat; and
a support unit detachably mounted on the fixing seat, wherein the support unit includes:
a support bracket mounted on the fixing seat;
two placement frames each pivotally connected with the support bracket;
two support links each pivotally connected between the support bracket and a respective one of the two placement frames.

2. The foldable placement rack in accordance with claim 1, wherein

the support bracket of the support unit includes:
a transverse lower support post mounted on the fixing seat;
a transverse upper support post located above the lower support post and having two opposite sides;
the two placement frames of the support unit are pivotally mounted on the two opposite sides of the upper support post of the support bracket.

3. The foldable placement rack in accordance with claim 2, wherein the lower support post of the support bracket is mounted on the fixing seat by a mounting post.

4. The foldable placement rack in accordance with claim 3, wherein

the fixing seat has a bottom having a middle position provided with a mounting portion;
the mounting post extends through the lower support post of the support bracket and is inserted into the mounting portion of the fixing seat.

5. The foldable placement rack in accordance with claim 4, wherein the lower support post of the support bracket has a hollow inside provided with a mounting hole slidably mounted on the mounting post.

6. The foldable placement rack in accordance with claim 5 wherein

the mounting post has a side provided with a plurality of adjusting holes;
the lower support post of the support bracket has a side provided with a positioning hole for mounting a positioning pin which is adjustably inserted into one of the adjusting holes of the mounting post so that the lower support post of the support bracket is adjustably mounted on the mounting post.

7. The foldable placement rack in accordance with claim 2, wherein each of the two placement frames of the support unit has an end portion provided with a transverse pivot post pivotally connected with the upper support post of the support bracket;

8. The foldable placement rack in accordance with claim 7, wherein

each of the two opposite sides of the upper support post of the support bracket is provided with at least one pivot sleeve;
the pivot post of each of the two placement frames has a bottom provided with at least one pivot ring aligning with the respective pivot sleeve of the upper support post;
the support unit further includes two pivot shafts each extending through the respective pivot sleeve of the upper support post and the pivot ring of the respective placement frame, so that the pivot post of each of the two placement frames is pivotally connected with the upper support post of the support bracket.

9. The foldable placement rack in accordance with claim 7, wherein

the pivot post of each of the two placement frames has a top provided with two opposite upright support struts;
the adjacent support struts of the two placement frames abut each other respectively when the two placement frames are in line with each other.

10. The foldable placement rack in accordance with claim 9, wherein each of the support struts of each of the two placement frames has a bottom provided with a recessed abutting edge abutting the upper support post of the support bracket when the adjacent support struts of the two placement frames abut each other respectively.

11. The foldable placement rack in accordance with claim 9, wherein

each of the support struts of each of the two placement frames has a middle portion provided with a through hole;
the support unit further includes:
two locking bolts each extending through the through hole of the respective support strut of one of the two placement frames and the through hole of the respective support strut of the other one of the two placement frames;
two locking nuts each screwed onto a respective one of the two locking bolts to combine the support struts of the two placement frames together.

12. The foldable placement rack in accordance with claim 9, wherein the pivot posts of the two placement frames abut the two opposite sides of the upper support post of the support bracket when the adjacent support struts of the two placement frames abut each other respectively.

13. The foldable placement rack in accordance with claim 2, wherein the support bracket of the support unit further includes:

an upright connecting post located between the lower support post and the upper support post.

14. The foldable placement rack in accordance with claim 13, wherein

each of the two placement frames of the support unit has a bottom provided with a pivot portion;
the connecting post of the support bracket has two opposite sides each provided with a pivot portion;
each of the two support links of the support unit has a first end provided with a first pivot section pivotally connected with the pivot portion of the support bracket and a second end provided with a second pivot section pivotally connected with the pivot portion of the respective placement frame.

15. The foldable placement rack in accordance with claim 14, wherein the second pivot section of each of the two support links is detachably connected with the pivot portion of the respective placement frame.

16. The foldable placement rack in accordance with claim 13, wherein the connecting post of the support bracket is located between the lower support post and the upper support post in an oblique manner.

17. The foldable placement rack in accordance with claim 9, wherein each of the two placement frames of the support unit has a periphery provided with a substantially U-shaped raised fence having two distal ends connected to the two support struts.

18. The foldable placement rack in accordance with claim 1, wherein the fixing seat is a substantially U-shaped bracket.

Patent History
Publication number: 20090277856
Type: Application
Filed: May 6, 2008
Publication Date: Nov 12, 2009
Inventor: Jian-Heng Lin (Taichung City)
Application Number: 12/115,685
Classifications
Current U.S. Class: Foldable Or Collapsible (211/195)
International Classification: A47B 43/00 (20060101);